Chuncheon is a familiar city I return to once or twice a year. This time, I was about to follow my usual itinerary of dakgalbi and makguksu when a local acquaintance insisted there was somewhere truly special and took me to a new spot.
That place was Chuncheon, a Japanese restaurant in Hupyeong-dong. As someone who loves Japanese food, I had no reason to turn it down. As it turned out, the choice made the entire evening.
A Chuncheon Izakaya in Hupyeong-dong
Without my acquaintance’s recommendation, I would never have known about this hidden gem—one of those places familiar only to people in the know. As an out-of-towner, I wanted to record it here and share the recommendation, though I suspect Chuncheon’s food lovers already know it well.
Address: 6 Boan-gil, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, 1st floor
Opening hours: Primarily open during the evening (be sure to check before visiting)
Parking: There is no dedicated parking lot, so visitors must use nearby side streets or public parking facilities.
What to order: Dinner courses (omakase) and à la carte dishes
Price and reservations: The main offering is a course menu priced at around 50,000–60,000 won per person. It is best to make a reservation in advance.
The interior is fairly dark. Still, it may be a better setting for focusing on the food at the table and enjoying conversation with your companions. I found it perfectly comfortable.
An Omakase in Chuncheon with Remarkable Culinary Skill
In a way, the dimly lit space also felt cosy. The neatly arranged interior gave the impression of stepping into a small, upscale restaurant in Japan.
Several tables were already filled with diners clearly enjoying themselves, and I had an immediate feeling that we had come to the right place.
Sharing a wonderful evening with someone dear, we became engrossed in an entertaining conversation and hardly noticed the time passing. Food that good seems to make conversation even more enjoyable.
At one point, the owner came over to our table with more delicious food, and we exchanged a few words. He seemed like a genuinely warm and pleasant person.
It would be nice to have a proper chat with the owner sometime. Though becoming a regular would probably require living in Chuncheon, haha.
Where the Omakase Begins: Every Bite Is a Work of Art
We ordered the 57,000-won course per person. Caught up in conversation with an acquaintance I had not seen in a long time, I did not manage to photograph every dish, but the quality of each one was genuinely impressive.
A remarkable start: The very first appetiser made it clear that this was no ordinary restaurant. A dried fish cooked with its bones still intact was surprisingly free of any crunch, while the savoury meat garnish on top of the tofu delivered an explosive hit of umami. We immediately found ourselves saying, “You could easily finish a bottle of soju with just this.”
A main course that showed real expertise: The sashimi, grilled Patagonian toothfish, and abalone that followed reflected the chef’s considerable experience.
The abalone, which is usually firm and chewy, had been cooked so tenderly that it seemed to melt in the mouth. The texture was exceptional.
A New Chuncheon Favourite: Chuncheon, the Place I Almost Want to Keep to Myself
Perhaps it was the food, but before we knew it, my acquaintance and I had each finished two bottles of soju. That was the most valuable takeaway from the evening: “I’m so glad we found a truly wonderful place to come back to whenever I return to Chuncheon.”
If you live in Chuncheon or are planning a trip there, I highly recommend skipping the usual choices for an evening and experiencing something special at Chuncheon.
That’s all from Lux.
